From Blaxploitation to Empowerment. Taking Back Control of Black Storytelling

Since the birth of Hollywood, racism has always played a part, especially in how it depicted Black culture. While there have been powerful and sincere stories of the Black experience when genuine directors and producers were behind the scenes, we’ve also seen a heavy rise in Blaxploitation—now more than ever.

During the 1970s, Blaxploitation films did real damage to the Black community. We were often presented as pimps, prostitutes, and criminals—every form of degenerate behavior was glorified in the name of entertainment. Before that era, Black characters were mostly shown as slaves, buffoons, or in other degrading roles, shaping a worldwide image of Black people as uncivilized.

At least back then, we could clearly understand that these images were the work of racist puppet masters. But today, many of us have unknowingly put ourselves on autopilot, continuing to create the same kinds of damaging portrayals—except now, we are the ones behind the camera.

There was a time in the 1990s when things started to shift. Films like , Strictly Business, Higher Learning, and others gave us more complex, revolutionary stories. We had television shows like the “Cosby Show” and “A Different World” reflecting the beauty of historical black colleges They showed the world a different side of the Black experience—one of strength, intelligence, and depth. But now, despite having more control over our media, we find ourselves flooded again with portrayals of drug dealers, violent criminals, and hyper-sexualized characters.

Even in social media skits, we often glorify sickness and dysfunction, thinking this is the model needed to gain views and popularity.

With that mindset, how are we any different from the racist producers and directors of old Hollywood who once stereotyped our community?

Sadly, these toxic trends have even crossed overseas, where some of our brothers and sisters abroad are picking up on these negative portrayals, hyper-sexualizing our women and glorifying the worst aspects of our culture to draw attention.

Of course, this isn’t the full picture. There are still beautiful pieces of content being created today—stories that highlight the atrocities we have faced while also showcasing positive marriages, active Black fathers, and strong families. These uplifting images deserve to be celebrated and promoted more widely.

It was a breath of fresh air when Black Panther came out, showing the world that Black people could be portrayed as the most intelligent and advanced civilization on the planet. That film wasn’t just a hit—it became a global phenomenon. Children of all races wanted to be Black Panther, just like they once wanted to be Superman, because of the powerful representation it provided. This is the energy we need to focus on: showing the best of who we are.

So what do we do as a community?

If we want better representation, it’s truly in our hands now. We can no longer blame “the white man” for how our culture is portrayed when we have full control over so many of our platforms. Through podcasts, blogs, independent films, and social media, we have the ability to tell positive, inspiring stories about our community—stories that counteract the nightly news that falsely paints us as the most criminal people on the planet.

It’s simple: we must stop contributing to poor representation. We must be focused and settled on showing the best parts of ourselves. Negativity is not a form of constructive information—it’s a trap.

We are meant to be a light in a dark place. And the light we carry can brighten the future for generations to come. It’s time to show that we are so much more than violence, dysfunction, and exploitation. It’s time to uplift, inspire, and represent our community with the dignity and brilliance it deserves.

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